March 2016 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2016-04-12

U.S. import prices increased 0.2 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The advance followed a 0.4-percent drop the previous month and was driven by an upturn in fuel prices which more than offset lower nonfuel prices. Prices for U.S. exports recorded no change in March, after falling 0.5 percent in February. All Imports: The price index for U.S. imports rose 0.2 percent in March, the first monthly increase for the index since a 0.1-percent uptick in June 2015. The March advance was the largest 1-month rise since the index increased 1.1 percent in May 2015. Despite the upturn, overall import prices remained down over the past year, falling 6.2 percent from March 2015 to March 2016. Fuel Imports: Import fuel prices increased 4.9 percent in March following declines of 5.9 percent in February, 15.7 percent in January, and 10.0 percent in December.